Never Say Forever
by xiao chan
Summary: All Human: After her parents' bitter divorce, Bella Swan had long given up on the idea of forever. But can her best friend, Edward Cullen, convince her that lasting love truly exists?
1. Preface

**Preface**

"Someone's at the door!" squealed tiny, four-year-old Bella Swan. She started squirming in her seat, anxious to escape the doting hands of her mother to run downstairs and see who it was.

"Hold still, Bella," Renee chided her eager child. "Your father will get the door."

"But it's probably Edward!" she protested. "I want to go see Edward!"

Renee smiled at her daughter's eagerness. "Edward can wait a little while. I just want to finish braiding your hair. I'm almost done."

Bella made a face of plain dislike. "I hate braids," she grumbled as she folded her arms across her chest. The young girl usually ended up releasing her long brown hair from their pleated restraints with the help of Edward and his sister Alice.

"You look so lovely in braids, sweetie," Renee protested gently.

"But Emmett and Jasper always pull on them," she whined. "And they always make fun of me. They say it makes me look like a brat." Then the young girl paused. "Mommy? What does brat mean?"

The woman laughed at her daughter's confusion. "Don't pay any attention to Emmett and Jasper," she instructed Bella as she finished tying the bright red ribbon around the end of the long plait of brown hair. "There you are sweetie. And please, _try_ not to get your dress all messed up."

Bella made another face and picked discontentedly at her dress. "I hate wearing dresses." And before her mother could say another word, she raced downstairs to greet her best friend.

"Edward!" she shouted as she skipped the last couple of steps. "Edward, look at what I found yesterday!"

The little boy was sitting on the couch with Charlie when he jumped at the sound of his friend's voice. He whipped around and his coppery, bright red hair followed him. Esme, Edward's adoptive mother, loved keeping his hair long. It was a unique color and she often said it was a waste to keep it short. Edward didn't mind it either; he didn't like having his hair cut.

"What did you find?" he asked excitedly. Bella pulled a flat, tiny piece of stone from the pocket of her red dress and held it up. Edward's bright green eyes widened with awe and excitement as he eyed it. "Wow!" he exclaimed. Then he paused. "What is it?"

"It's an arrowhead! It's what the Indian peoples used to kill other peoples with!"

Edward's ginger brows furrowed as he took the artifact from her. "Really? This doesn't look like it could kill anyone."

Bella rolled her eyes. "That's 'cause it's not sharpened, dummy. Daddy says they used to tie them to really long sticks and stab people with."

The young boy's expression lit up. "Let's sharpen it, then! I want to use it on Emmett. He used my toothbrush again on purpose."

"Sure." Then she looked around the tiny living room for something that could help them sharpen the tiny arrowhead. "Oh, Daddy has a knife sharpener. He uses it to sharpen his fishing knives." The young girl turned to her father with large brown eyes. "Daddy, can we use your knife sharpener?"

Charlie chuckled at her innocent expression. "I don't think so, Bells. Why don't you and Edward just look for sharper arrowheads?"

Two pairs of eyes widened simultaneously. "Yeah! That way we have extras!"

"Let's go!" With that, the two children rushed out of the house and into the woods they knew only too well.

"Stay close by the house!" Charlie called after them. "And don't wander off the trails!"

The children waved their acknowledgment of the warning and rushed into the woods. They knew the forest like the back of their hands, so they weren't worried about getting lost. The forest was their domain, their kingdom. They had nothing to fear in these dense woodlands.

Immediately, Bella led Edward to the creek that ran through the forest to show him where she found the arrowhead. They started sifting through the silt and the mud in hopes of unearthing another one. Completely heedless of her mother's threats, Bella wiped her muddy fingers all over her pretty red dress.

When the search for more arrowheads started to get boring, the two of them turned climbing up to their favorite tree trunks instead. Edward pulled two lollipops out of his pocket and handed the green one to Bella while he kept the brown one for himself.

"Gross, brown," she grimaced as she watched him stick the candy in his mouth. "Why do you like the brown ones? They're nasty."

Edward stuck his tongue out at the little girl. "They're chocolate. I like chocolate."

She shrugged at her friend's weird preferences and contented herself to eat her own sour apple lollipop. She relished the tangy sweet taste that spread across her tongue.

"Bella?" Edward asked as they sat on their respective tree trunks, swinging their legs back and forth. "Do you want to get married?"

The little girl furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"I asked my Dad what being married meant and he said it's when two people spend a lot of time together and do things together. And they stay that way forever."

Bella's eyes widened. "Forever?"

The young boy nodded solemnly. "Forever and ever."

Then she grinned widely, showing off her slightly green teeth. "Then let's get married! We can be together forever!"

Edward smiled back. "Then we have to give each other rings."

A thoughtful frown replaced Bella's excited expression as she looked at herself. "I don't have a ring to give you." Then her eyes lit up with an idea. "How about I give you the arrowhead instead?" She pulled the ancient artifact out of her pocket and handed it to him.

He took it reverently. "Okay. Then you can have my lucky buffalo quarter." He took the coin he carried with him at all times from out of his back pocket and put it in Bella's small palm. "Don't lose it," he said sternly.

"I won't," she promised as she carefully slipped the coin in her pocket.

"Now we're married." Then he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Now we're married," Bella agreed. Then without warning, she poked him in the shoulder, screamed, "Tag! You're it!" and slid off her tree trunk to run off before he could tag her back.

The years went on and tag and arrowhead searches gave way to school and parties. But the one thing that remained was Edward and Bella's close friendship.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"_Sing us a song, you're the Piano man! Sing us a song tonight!"_

Bella grumbled as she opened one eye to glare at the clock. It was two in the freaking morning. Her phone had no business ringing at two in the freaking morning.

"_Well we're all in the mood for a melody, and you've got us feeling all right."_

"Ugh." She reached across her bedside table and yanked her phone off its charger. "You better be dying, Edward Anthony Cullen. Do you have any idea what time it is?"

She could hear the grin on his face despite the fact that she was still half asleep. "Oh, were you sleeping? Sorry, I must have screwed up the time difference."

Bella glanced at the clock once again. "It's one o'clock over there. You should be asleep too."

"Bells, I am a young, strong seventeen-year-old boy. I have grown beyond bedtimes."

The young girl rolled her eyes. "I'm assuming you decided to call me at this insane hour for some sort of purpose."

"What are you talking about?" he asked too innocently. "Is it too much for me to want to hear my best friend's voice? You've been in stupid Phoenix all summer and I missed you."

Bella yawned. "I miss you too, Edward. Can I call you back when I'm actually awake enough to appreciate this conversation?"

"Okay, okay, I did have a purpose. I wanted to inform you of my decision, my _life-changing_ decision. Seriously, you will never be the same."

That got her attention. "Really?" she asked as she sat up a little straighter against her pillows. "What? What is it?"

He took a deep breath. "I have decided…that in fifteen years, I'm going to run for President of the United States and you're going to be my Vice President. Jasper's going to be Secretary of State, Alice is going to be Secretary of Treasury, Emmet's going to be Secretary of Defense and Rosalie's going to be…well, she's just going to be a secretary."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Good night, Edward."

"Wait, wait!" he shouted. Then his voice softened. "I really miss you, Bells. When are you coming home?"

The young girl reached up unconsciously and played with the buffalo quarter hanging on the tiny silver chain around her neck. It was the same one Edward had given her nearly thirteen years ago. When she was ten, her dad drilled a hole in it and put it on a chain so she wouldn't lose it so easily. Now she never took it off.

"I'm coming home tomorrow, Edward," she promised. She knew that he was perfectly aware of when she was coming home, but she decided to humor him. "I'm taking the first flight out of here."

"Good," he said. "Now you should get to bed, young lady! It's two o'clock in the morning!"

Bella rolled her eyes again, but smiled in spite of herself. "Okay, Dad. Good night."

"Good night, Bells. Love you."

"Love you, too."

With those parting words, she stuck her phone back on her charger and turned over on her side, still stroking her quarter necklace.

Just a little under twelve hours until she got to see her best friend again. With that happy thought, Bella drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.

Edward, in the meantime, sat in his bed in the tiny town of Forks, Washington as he stared at his phone, hoping against all hope that she would call him back, saying she couldn't go to sleep and demand that he entertain her until she did. It wouldn't have been the first time. She needed him as badly as he needed her, even though she wasn't willing to admit it.

No, that wasn't quite right. Bella had considered him her best friend, ever since they were four years old and they exchanged their most prized possessions as the ultimate sign of trust. He wore that arrowhead now, tied around his neck. Everyone at school thought it was some sort of fashion statement, but only Bella knew that it was a symbol of his commitment to her.

But while Bella claimed they were just friends, Edward felt a little differently. It started when girls started throwing themselves at him and Alice and Emmett had to keep pointing it out. But try as they might, these girls (girls that the rest of the school considered the cream of the crop) just couldn't compare to the standard of beauty and personality that Edward had set in his mind. In fact, there was only girl who did. And that girl happened to be his best friend.

And honestly, he should have had this one in the bag. Not that he liked to brag (okay, maybe a little), but he was kind of the big man on campus. He was the star of the basketball and track and field teams, student body president and future valedictorian. He was the king of Forks High. If he really wanted, he could have had his pick of any of the millions of girls that threw themselves at his feet everyday.

But he didn't want any of them. His traitorous heart only wanted one girl, and it was the one girl that he could never get to accept him as anything more than a friend.

He sighed when he finally realized that Bella wasn't calling him back until the morning. It frustrated him to no end, this insane dependency on his best friend. He needed her like he needed air and food. He needed to hear her voice just to know that she was all right. He needed to feel her in his arms to know that she would never leave him. It made every summer since her parents' divorce pure torture, but he put up with it because he knew the deep sacrifice she had made, just for him. The least he could do was grin and bear it when she spent the summer months in Phoenix with her mother.

At least he never had to worry about the chance of her falling in love with someone else. Ever since her mother escaped to Phoenix after the bitter divorce—leaving ten-year-old Bella with a neglectful ex-husband—the girl had long since given up on the idea of forever.

Not that there hadn't been queues and queues of boys at school hoping to change her mind. Edward watched with jealousy every year as the hordes of the male population asked her to Homecoming or to the Winter Formal. And every year, he watched with great satisfaction as she turned each and every one of them down.

Oh, there was nothing for it now. He wasn't going to be able to get to sleep tonight, at least not for a long time. Slipping his phone into his pajama pocket (you know, just in case), he slid off his bed and went into his soundproof, walk-in closet that housed not only his clothes but his portable keyboard as well. He kept it there for nights like these when the only thing that could soothe his restless soul was his music.

After playing a few warm-up exercises, he got to work on his latest project. The melody came to him a few nights ago, so he wrote it down. He worked now to find the background chords and the proper mood for what he was trying to convey.

It was nearly four in the morning when he put it all together. Now all it needed was lyrics.

He yawned widely and stretched his arms above his head. He decided he'd worry about the lyrics when Jasper was around. Jazz was better with words anyway.

Finally exhausted enough to fall asleep, he emerged from his closet and fell to the bed with a soft thump. The last thought that crossed his mind before he drifted away was the wonderful, healing fact that Bella would be home in less than eight hours.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The sky overhead was its usual cloudy gray when Bella stumbled off the plane at the Port Angeles Regional Airport. It must have rained a little, too, because the staircase was still slightly wet. She had to pay close attention to make sure she wouldn't trip and fall on her face. Unfortunately, she did anyway.

Luckily for her, someone was there at the bottom to catch her before the concrete came to greet her. She looked up and smiled widely at the hulking figure before her. "Hey, Emmet!"

He chuckled. "Good thing I was here to catch you. Edward would've murdered me if you came home with a black eye again."

Bella rolled her eyes heavenward. "That was one time," she reminded him. "And speaking of Deadward, where is he? He couldn't have picked me up himself?"

He just grinned in reply and she groaned. "I don't want to know, do I?"

"Nope."

The hour-long ride back to Forks was spent discussing Emmett's college plans. He and Rosalie were going to University of Washington in late August. Bella worried about the two of them going to the same college; she knew that the only reason Emmett was going to University of Washington was for Rosalie, but she just couldn't find the heart to tell them that they weren't going to last the first semester of college. However, that didn't stop her from telling Edward how she felt.

"They're not going to make it," Bella told him sadly one night when they were trudging through their history homework. "High school relationships rarely make it past graduation. People change once they get to college and they're no exception. Rose and Em are going to hate each other by the end of their first semester."

Edward chuckled. "Come on, Bells. Quit being such a downer. They're more than just high school sweethearts. They're perfect for each other."

Bella shook her head, but didn't say anything further. She knew that there was no such thing as soul mates, but try as she might to convince him, she couldn't get him to agree.

"You know, I'm glad that you're finally home, kid," Emmett said after a brief silence. "Edward's been getting more annoying than usual."

Bella laughed. "I missed him a lot," she confessed as she stroked her necklace. "My mom wouldn't eat the olives from my salad and she wouldn't let me take her croutons either."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Kid, when are you going to realize that you're in love with him? This is starting to get ridiculous."

She sighed. This wasn't the first time he brought up the subject of her nonexistent romantic feelings for Edward. "Emmett, I've already told you—"

"And I've already told _you_ that you can't see it because you're in it. But you can't stay away from him for very long without feeling incomplete. You hate seeing other girls flirt with him, even though you know he won't say yes to any of them. You can't ever turn your emotions off when it comes to him."

"That's because he's my best friend," she argued. "And I don't hate it when girls flirt with him just because they're flirting with him. I hate it because they always act so fake around him. Edward deserves to be with a girl who's not afraid to be herself when she's around him."

"Oh, like his best friend?"

Bella rolled her eyes and turned her gaze to the flashing greenery passing her by.

She couldn't really say that she missed Forks. It had been so nice to be in a place with actual blue skies with sun that shone over a land not overrun with weeds. And it was wonderful to be with her mother. She couldn't help but worry about Renee constantly. The woman could hardly remember to feed herself, much less pay her bills. It made Bella wonder how she managed. She tried to help as much as she could, but there was only so much she could do without physically being with her.

At least she wouldn't have to worry as much for the next month. She had taken care of as much as she could before she had to leave for Forks once again: she made sure the house payments and bills were paid, as well as stocked the refrigerator with enough heat-and-go meals to last her at least six weeks. The inability to make edible food was one of the most worrying aspects of her mother's personality.

But as much as Renee physically needed her, Edward invested so much of himself emotionally in her that it was impossible to tear her away from him for very long. Bella knew him better than his own family. She knew what he was thinking at all times. She knew the trivial and the important aspects of his personality and his being. She comforted him when he cried, she got him to breathe when he paced, and she listened when he talked. She was the one person in his life that he could go to for anything, no matter what and she didn't want to imagine what would happen if she were to ever separate herself from Edward for any extended period of time.

And if she were going to be perfectly honest, she needed him as well. There had never been anyone in her life that hadn't left her at least once before. Her mother had fled to Arizona after the divorce and her father…well her father was technically still there, but distant. Ever since Renee left, he had become an empty shell of the man he once had been. Every night was spent in front of the television with a beer, letting the alcohol burn away all of his pain. When no one else stayed, Edward did. He was the only one who took care of her unspoken emotional needs. He kept her grounded and sane.

The Cullen mansion finally loomed into view and the sight brought an automatic smile to her face. She would see her best friend for the first time since the beginning of the summer in—

"Three," Emmett muttered, "two…one…"

Right on cue, Edward barreled out the front door and to Emmett's Jeep Wrangler. He wrenched the passenger door open and pulled Bella out of her seat.

"Bells!" he shouted jubilantly.

She laughed in spite of herself and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and pecked him on the cheek. "I missed you too."

"Let me at her," a high-pitched soprano voice demanded. Edward reluctantly released Bella and a tiny girl with short black hair launched herself at the taller girl with the force of a cannonball.

"Oof!" grunted Bella. "Hey, Alice."

"Bella, I'm so glad you're home!" she cried.

"Me too," Bella replied with a grin. Alice's exuberance was the infectious kind.

A tall, blond guy approached more slowly than the other two, but with the same wide smile. "Hey, Bells. I'd give you a hug, but it looks like you've got your arms full."

"Hey, Jazz," Bella answered with warmth coloring her tone. "Yeah, sorry about that."

Carlisle and Esme followed Jasper from out of the house and grinned at the happy reunion. "Hello, Bella," Emse greeted softly. Alice finally released Bella and Esme came forward for her turn. "It's so nice to have you back home, dear."

"How was your flight?" Carlisle asked.

"It was fine. Kind of long," Bella said with a noncommittal shrug.

Edward laughed and Bella grimaced. Of course he could tell that she wasn't telling the whole truth. Despite the numerous times he claimed that he was always so unsure of what she was thinking, he still read her better than anyone else.

When Esme finally released the girl, Edward pulled Bella to him and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "We have a surprise for you."

Bella scowled. "Of course you do," she muttered under her breath.

Edward laughed. Bella had an intense dislike for surprises and had spent the great majority of her childhood watching over her shoulder, since Alice rather loved them.

The six of them led her around the huge white house out toward the garage. When they approached, Emmett punched in the code to the door. It slowly lifted to reveal Rosalie standing next to a huge, old-fashioned Chevy truck in her blue, grease-stained jumpsuit with a proud smile on her face.

Bella's jaw dropped to the ground when she finally recognized her car. "Oh my God, you guys!" she shouted as she ran toward it. "Tell me you didn't!"

Jasper chuckled. "Well, we knew you weren't going to let us buy you a new car, so we decided to fix up your old one."

"I believe the proper term is, 'we pimped your ride,'" Carlisle said.

Emmett's booming laughter echoed off the trees. "How the heck do you know that?"

Carlisle's eyes twinkled and he grinned in a way that would have devastated any lesser woman within a twenty-yard radius. "Just because I'm older doesn't mean I'm not down with the lingo. I know what all the gangsters be saying."

Alice grimaced. "Please, Dad, don't ever do that again."

Bella, however, was too absorbed in the beauty of her newly restored truck to pay attention to anything else. She ran her hands over the glossy, candy red paint with an expression of pure ecstasy. All the dents had been taken out, so it looked amazing. She could only imagine how well it ran now.

As if reading her mind, Rosalie dangled the car keys in front of Bella's face. "Want to give it a spin?"

She didn't need to ask twice. Bella grabbed the keys and jumped into the driver's seat. Edward climbed into the passenger's side as she turned the ignition. The engine hummed quietly and Bella grinned from ear to ear. Before, her truck would roar to life, alerting anyone within a fifty-foot vicinity.

"I can't believe you guys," she murmured joyously. "Seriously, it's like new! I bet I can make it go past sixty now!"

Edward chuckled. "That's not even the best part." He reached forward and turned on the radio. Gladys Knight and the Pips blared through speakers she didn't even know she had with stunning clarity.

Bella gasped once she noticed her brand new car stereo. "How did you know?" She had been considering buying herself a new one before the start of the school year with the Christmas money she was saving.

"Bells, when are you going to realize that I know all?"

She rolled her eyes in return, but didn't say anything. It didn't feel proper insulting him after he and his entire family had worked so hard to make her truck look and run like new.

Edward laughed at her expression. "When you told me that Renee got you an iPod for an early birthday gift, we thought it would be a good idea to get you a car stereo that could let you play it." He pulled out the chord that would attach to her brand new mp3 player from the glove compartment.

"You guys are amazing."

She drove the truck out to the main roads and drove around a bit, admiring the smoothness of the ride. Bella figured that Rosalie must have done a lot to the engine and replaced the tires or something, because it certainly didn't ride like this in the past.

Ten minutes later, Bella was pulling back onto the Cullen property. She climbed out of her newly restored truck, beaming widely at her friends. "This truck is amazing, you guys. Thank you so much!"

They all descended upon her to hug whatever part of her they could reach. "You're welcome, Bells," Rosalie chuckled. "Think of it as a your homecoming slash early birthday present."

After a little more small talk, Bella excused herself. "I really should get home. Charlie's going to expect me soon, and I still have to unpack."

"Okay," Emmett nodded. "Be sure to show him your pimped out ride!"

"I will," she promised. But whether he would notice or even care was a completely different story.

Edward drove with her to her house. Unsurprisingly, her father was home, glued to the television with a beer in his hand and a pizza in his lap.

"Hey, Dad," greeted Bella. "I'm home."

Edward came up behind her, bringing up the rest of her luggage. "Hello, Chief Swan."

Charlie grunted his acknowledgment of the two of them, but didn't bother moving his head.

Bella knew the phases of Charlie's drunken stupors better than anyone, and in that moment, he was in the phase where nothing and no one could distract him from wallowing in his pain. So without another word, Bella climbed up the narrow staircase to her room with Edward following her lead.

The minute Edward crossed the threshold of her room he dropped Bella's bags and threw himself across her bed. Bella simply shook her head and started unpacking her suitcases.

"Let me see the iPod," demanded Edward. Bella unzipped her first suitcase and reverently handed the iPod (still encased in its box) to her friend. He took it from her with an appraising look in his eye.

"An iPod Touch, nice," he murmured approvingly. Then he smirked. "You know, having an iPod means that you have to have a computer that doesn't freeze whenever you pull up the web browser."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "That's what best friends with Macbooks are for."

Edward grinned wickedly. "Now that's just asking for trouble."

"You put any Abba on my iPod, I will kill you."

"Nuts."

But as a connoisseur of fine music, Edward took his responsibility very seriously. As Bella unpacked her belongings and put them away in the proper places, he pulled out his laptop and started creating the playlists for her iPod. He spent the next thirty minutes giving her the names of artists and asking for her approval.

"Acceptance?"

"Yes."

"Adele?"

"Yes."

"Alan Menken?"

"Hell yes."

"Akon?"

Bella shot him a withering glare and he chuckled. "Noted."

When he created a suitable playlist, he connected her iPod to his laptop and waited for the music to finish downloading. "So, are you excited for the start of school?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "No, not really."

Edward grinned. "Come on! We're starting our _senior year_! This is the beginning of the rest of our lives!"

"Have you been reading college brochures again?"

"You're so jaded, Bells. It's almost sad."

She put away her last pair of jeans and flopped on the bed next to him. "How can I be excited for another year of crappy teachers, stressful homework and idiotic teenage boys that can't keep their hands to themselves? Not to mention the endless _drama_."

He laughed. "I think there's going to be significantly less drama now that Emmett and Rosalie graduated."

"But there's still Tyler, Mike, Lauren and Jessica. Remember all that stupid prom crap last year?"

It was Edward's turn to roll his eyes. "If you had just gone with me like I suggested in the first place, none of it would have happened. In fact, we could avoid the inevitable drama this year altogether if you just agree to go to the dances with me." Inwardly, he knew he didn't stand a chance when it came to things like these, but it didn't stop him from hoping.

She grimaced. "I haven't gone to a single high school dance and I plan on keeping it that way."

"Not if Alice has anything to say about it," he warned. "You know there's no way you're getting out of gong to homecoming this year, not when she's dead set on experiencing everything." And secretly, he would be rooting for her.

"Wanna bet?"

"Against Alice? Forget it."

She grumbled and settled against Edward's side. "She's not going to get me so easily."

Edward laughed as his arms wrapped around her tiny form to bring her closer against him. "I don't doubt that."

They lay in thoughtful silence for a while and Edward sighed contentedly. Sometimes it was so easy for him to believe that she loved him the same way he did when they were resting in each other's arms like this. And maybe she would, if it weren't for the single, paper-thin wall that kept him from holding her heart completely.

"What are you thinking?" he asked after a few more moments.

"I'm thinking about Renee," she admitted. "I'm worried about her. I'm always worried about her."

Edward felt the ever-present guilt wring at his insides. "I'm sure she's fine," he said as reassuringly as possible. "Didn't you make enough food to feed five hundred for at least a month? She'll eat well enough."

She sighed. "That's not what I'm worried about right now. I'm worried that she'll fall for another loser."

It was a valid concern, taking into account Renee's dating history. She seemed to be going about the whole institution on a trial-by-error basis. "Your mother's bound to find someone. There's someone for everyone."

Bella didn't answer because she was fairly certain that Edward already knew what she was going to say. And well did he know her opinions. It was the one thing that kept him from making a more obvious overture for her affections.

"I think Renee's going to be fine. She's survived so far, hasn't she?"

Bella grumbled. "I wish I could be as optimistic as you."

It was Edward's turn to sigh. It was in Bella's nature to worry, but sometimes he wondered what would have happened if he hadn't been so selfish, if he hadn't wanted to keep her all to himself. Would she have been happier in Phoenix? It was no secret that she detested Forks the minute her mother left her to her alcoholic father. Perhaps he shouldn't have begged her to stay when she was forced to make the decision. She deserved so much better than a man parading as a parental figure, who spent his days ignoring the growing likeness between his daughter and ex-wife. She deserved a rest from her role as constant caretaker to everyone she knew.

But the thought of Bella leaving him was too excruciating to bear. Even all those years ago, when he couldn't quite put a word to his feelings for her, he couldn't let her go. She had been his anchor since before he could even remember; if she left, he would be stranded, drifting in an ocean of despair and hazy, but painful memories. She was the first and only person to win his complete trust, and there was simply no way he could let her leave.

Maybe that was the real reason Bella didn't love him back. It wasn't that she shied away from love—she shied away from him. He was too selfish for so selfless a person.

He squeezed her form closer to his body. Years later, he was still unwilling to let her go though he knew he didn't deserve her.

"Bella?" he murmured into her hair. "I'm really glad you're home." When she didn't answer, he called her name again a little more loudly. "Bella?"

He looked down and realized she was asleep. He smiled tenderly and kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight, Bella. I love you."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"There is no _way_ that _Kung Fu Panda_ can be considered a comedy!"

Bella stared at Emmett with an expression of pure incredulity. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not. It's obviously a Kung Fu movie!"

Edward, however, was on Bella's side. "Emmett, the movie is an animated film about an _overweight panda_ learning Kung Fu and saving all of China. And to top it all off, Jack Black voices the main character. How can it _not_ be a comedy?"

"Because the jokes are not the central point of the movie! The Kung Fu is!"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Fine then. By that logic, what would you call _Bambi_? A nature film?"

Edward scoffed at the suggestion. "What the hell? That's like calling _Aladdin_ a cultural experience."

Jasper stared at the three of them in disbelief. He had been listening to the debate for nearly ten minutes already. "How in the world did you get into this discussion?" he asked.

"They were trying to decide what movie to watch," Rosalie answered in a bored voice as she examined her nail beds. "Then Bella suggested _Kung Fu Panda_ and Emmett said he wanted to watch a comedy. The conversation went downhill from there."

Alice danced into the living room in her usual, graceful manner. "Compromise. How about we watch—"

"We're not watching _Confessions of a Shopaholic_ again," Emmett told her before she could finish her sentence.

She glared at her oldest brother. "I wasn't going to suggest that. I was going to suggest we watch _He's Just Not That Into You_. That's a comedy." Then she shot Edward a smirk.

He resisted the sudden urge to throw something very sharp at his sister.

Rosalie, fed up with the pointless arguments that seemed to go nowhere, abruptly stood from her seat on the ottoman and strode to kneel before the entertainment center. She emerged with a DVD in her hand and a smug expression on her face. "We're watching this."

Alice peered at the title and groaned. "You must have seen that six million times already!"

"Just getting back at you for _Confessions_," the blonde shot back.

But Emmett was content to agree with whatever Rosalie wanted, Edward and Bella both enjoyed the film and Jasper was simply relieved to have the heated debate over. Alice was in the minority.

"Fine," she huffed petulantly as she threw herself on the seat next to Jasper.

The main menu for _The Fast and the Furious_ came up a few moments later. Rosalie eagerly hit play.

To an outsider, the configuration would have made it look like a group date. Emmett shared the ottoman with Rose, with her sitting halfway between his lap and the chair. Alice curled up against Jasper's side on the couch directly across from the television, and he had his arms wrapped around her. Bella and Edward sat on the floor behind the coffee table with their backs leaning against the couch. Halfway through the film, Bella leaned her head against Edward's shoulder and he settled his cheek against the top of her head. Unbeknownst to the two of them, Emmett and Jasper exchanged smirks at the obvious display of affection.

The minute the movie was over, Alice leapt from the couch and removed the DVD before Rosalie could do anything…like watch the deleted scenes.

"You didn't have to watch, you know," Rosalie grumbled.

The slight, pixie of a girl ignored the other as she put the DVD in its proper case. All of a sudden, her expression became one of excitement, as if she suddenly remembered something very good.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you guys! I asked Mom and Dad if we could throw a party this weekend—kind of like a going-away party for Jazz, Rose and Em and a start of our senior year party for us—and they said yes!"

Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper and Edward simultaneously shrugged. Knowing Alice's love for throwing parties, they weren't really surprised. And Bella knew too…but it didn't stop her from groaning out loud.

"Bella," began Alice warningly.

"Fine, fine," the other girl grumbled.

"Now you guys have to help me out with the guest list," she said as she plopped down gracefully in front of the coffee table. If this announcement had been a ploy to distract them from picking another movie she disagreed with, it certainly was working. Everyone else gathered closer around the coffee table while Alice pulled out a blank legal pad. "Who do we want to invite?"

"Everyone," Rosalie answered.

Alice made a face at her. "We can't invite everyone. Mom and Dad are actually making me stick to a budget this time."

"Let's not invite anyone, then," Bella suggested. They'd done it before.

Jasper smiled sympathetically at her. "Come on, Bells. You know how small Forks is—everyone would find out eventually. Can you imagine how pissed they're going to be when they find out we had a celebration by ourselves and didn't invite them?"

"Not if they don't know about it."

"Believe it or not, there are people we actually like who attend Forks High," reminded Alice in a patronizing tone. "Besides, this is a group party. We're celebrating the end of summer and new beginnings. It wouldn't be fair if we didn't invite our other friends."

Bella rolled her eyes as if to say, _what other friends?_ But she conceded that Alice did have a point.

"I'm cool with whoever," Emmett said with a careless shrug. "Just don't invite Lauren."

"We can't not invite Lauren," argued Rosalie. That was surprising, considering the beautiful blonde had a bigger problem with the school's reigning drama queen than anyone else.

"What do you mean we can't not invite Lauren?" Emmett demanded. "It's our party, we can do whatever the heck we want."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "If we don't invite her, she'll get pissed and try to make our lives as miserable as possible."

Emmett scoffed. "Why does it matter? She makes our lives miserable by existing. And besides, you, Jasper and I have already graduated. We won't have to see or talk to her ever again." He shot a smug grin at Bella and Edward who both scowled in his direction.

"I'm glad that _you_ three have graduated, but I'd rather not spend my senior year watching over my back for whatever petty revenge Lauren might be planning," announced Alice. She wrote the name down on the legal pad with a flourish. "I'm inviting her."

Emmett scowled, but admitted defeat.

"What about Tyler?" Jasper asked.

"No," Edward immediately answered.

Bella sighed. "If we're inviting Lauren, we might as well invite Tyler. And Jordan, while we're at it."

"No," repeated Edward.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Edward, your resentment of the male population at Forks High School is ridiculous. Bella will be fine. We'll all keep watch over her, if you like."

"That's not what I'm worried about," he said through a clenched jaw.

Emmett smirked. "Sure it's not."

"Look, how about we get through the people we actually _like_ and decide about everyone else later?" demanded Alice impatiently. "I want to get the guest list finished _tonight_."

After gathering a list of fifteen people they all found agreeable, they moved on to the people they didn't.

"If we invite one, we can't invite the other," Jasper reasoned after Alice and Edward had a heated debate over whether or not to invite Jessica and Mike. "They broke up a couple weeks ago."

"Really?" Rosalie asked with mild intrigue. "How did you find out?"

"They put it on Facebook."

She rolled her eyes. "Figures."

"There," Edward said smugly. "We'll invite Jessica, not Mike."

Alice scowled at her brother. "Who agreed to that? I'd rather have Mike than Jessica."

"Why? Mike's an immature idiot who's probably going to try and sneak in a six-pack or weed. And remember the last party he went to? He slipped roofies in Colleen McDermott's drink."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Tyler just spread that rumor to get back at Mike for asking Lauren to homecoming before he got the chance. And even if Mike tried to sneak anything, Mom and Dad would be all over him in a second. Jessica, on the other hand, is a kleptomaniac that can't keep her hands to herself. Not to mention, she'd probably show up drunk anyway."

Edward glared murderously at his sister. "Fine. But if he slips anything in Bella's drink, I'm blaming you."

When Edward wasn't looking, Bella caught Alice's slightly worried glance, shook her head with wide eyes and mouthed, _"Don't worry about it."_

"Okay, so if we're inviting Mike that means we can't invite Tyler," Emmett said.

Bella frowned. "Wow, inviting Mike sure comes with a lot of contingencies…"

"But if we don't invite Tyler, Lauren will be bothering us for most of the evening," Jasper reminded them. "We need him there to divert her attention."

"But if Tyler's there we run the risk of him and Mike getting into a fight," argued Emmett.

"Not if we invite Conner," Alice interjected. "Conner's a decent guy. He'll keep Mike in check."

The rest of the guest list planning happened in much the same fashion. The six of them took into account the social issues each possible guest presented and how best to keep the drama at a minimum. By the end of it, Alice had a list of seventy people.

Bella sighed; of everyone invited, she truly enjoyed the company of only two of them: Angela and Ben. The rest she couldn't really stand.

Edward noticed her forlorn expression and hugged her closer to him. "Don't worry, Bella. Some of them might not show up."

She stared at him incredulously. "You're kidding, right? This is a Cullen and Hale party. No one turns down an invite to a Cullen and Hale party."

She was right and all of them knew it. The five of them were famous for throwing the most amazing, most memorable parties and most everyone at Forks High would have willingly given their right foot for an invitation to one.

"It'll be fine, Bells," Alice said dismissively. "You worry too much. Anyway, now that we know who's coming, what do we want our theme to be?"

Bella sighed. It was always like this with Alice; despite the fact that her parents were attempting to rein her in with a budget, it probably was a rather large one and would be enough to afford the biggest event of the season. And trust Alice to make this the biggest event of the season.

"New York Elite," Rosalie suggested.

Edward and Bella made a face and Alice giggled. "Maybe not for this party, but I like the idea."

"Masquerade?" Rose tried again.

"Nah, too formal. But I like that idea, too."

"Eighties!" exclaimed Emmett excitedly.

Rosalie and Alice shot him a withering glare. "No."

"The forties," Edward suddenly suggested. "Soldier uniforms, big band music, swing dancing…the whole nine yards. It'll be like we're sending Rose, Em and Jazz to war."

"Wow, melodramatic much?" Rose said as she rolled her eyes.

Alice, however, was pondering the idea. "I don't know…I kind of like it. It has a lot of potential. Jazz and Em could dress up like soldiers and Rose could be the army nurse."

"I wouldn't mind that," Emmett said with a suggestive wink. He reached down toward his girlfriend. Rosalie jumped up in surprise and smacked her boyfriend on the shoulder, her cheeks flaming red.

"Fine by me," Jasper shrugged. He'd learned long ago to stop caring when it came to Alice's immense party planning skills.

"But how are you going to pull it all together in less than a week?" Bella asked skeptically. "I know you're good, Alice, but you're not that good."

Famous last words.

"Oh, Bella," Alice smirked. "Do not underestimate me."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Isabella Marie Swan."

Bella flinched and wrapped her quilt tighter around her. She knew that attempting to avoid the party and the pre-party bustle was pretty much useless, but it didn't mean she wouldn't give it a shot.

With a sharp yank, Edward pulled the covers off the bed. "You're not getting out of this," he warned. "I'm not letting you. If I have to do it, then by God, so do you."

"I'm sorry, Edward, but I can't," she said in a hoarse voice—obviously faked. "I'm sick."

He rolled his eyes to show how much he believed her. "Uh-huh."

"Seriously! I think I caught the swine flu. How can I tell if I have it or not?"

"If you start foaming at the mouth and it tastes like bacon grease," he answered. He took a seat at the edge of her bed and felt her forehead. "You're not warm." Then he gently felt the soft area under her jaw and around her neck. "Your glands don't feel swollen. Funny thing, Bella, I don't think you're sick."

She rolled her eyes. "Just because you're right most of the time doesn't mean you're right all of the time. I know my body better than you do, and it's telling me that I'm sick."

Ordering didn't seem to be working so Edward quickly switched tactics. "Bella, please?" he asked quietly, his eyes smoldering with intensity. What he was about to do actually wasn't very fair, but desperate times call for desperate measures. "I need you there." He took her hand in both of his without ever tearing his green gaze from her beautiful, porcelain face. "I need you there to keep my sanity."

Bella could almost feel her will physically crumbling. Oh, hell—whom was she kidding? The foundation started to crack the moment he barged into her bedroom. "Fine," she grumbled as she reluctantly got out of her bed. "But I'm going straight home afterwards with no clean-up duty!"

"Agreed," he answered eagerly. Anything to get her to go.

She left for the bathroom to run a brush through her mouth and detangle her hair enough to tie it up in a ponytail. When she was finished, she came out to meet Edward in the hallway in a pair of tatty sweatpants and torn t-shirt. He raised her eyebrows at her and she simply rolled her eyes. "I'm going to have to change into whatever ridiculous dress Alice wants me in later tonight anyway. I don't want to make an effort for the pre-party crap."

"It's not ridiculous," he assured. "She checked with me before she got it."

When they arrived at the Cullen mansion ten minutes later, Alice immediately put them to work. "Bella, I need you to take your truck into Port Angeles and pick up some of the tables and chairs that the party people forgot. While you're there, I also need you to go to The Sunshine Bakery and pick up the cake." She ripped a piece of paper from her clipboard and handed it to her. "Here are the addresses. And take Edward with you; he has to pick up his suit anyway."

Bella was glad for an excuse to get away from the hustle and bustle of the main house. With the directions and the addresses in hand, she and Edward went back to her house to pick up her truck and head to Port Angeles. Factoring in travel time, she estimated that it would take her at least three and a half hours.

"You know, we could get there faster if you let me drive," Edward said hopefully.

"Forget it," Bella said firmly. "My truck. I drive."

He frowned. "I helped restore your truck, you know."

"I know, and I thank you for that. But you drive like a maniac, and I would rather not have to make a trip to the hospital today."

He rolled his eyes. "I do not drive like a maniac," he said petulantly as he crossed his arms and slumped into his seat.

Forty-five minutes later, they got to Port Angeles and fetched the rest of the linens and the tables. The people at the rental place were good-natured and they helped them load them into the back of her truck. Then after fifteen minutes of searching for the bakery, they finally found it tucked away into a corner far from the main tourist street. The outward appearance of the place made Bella skeptical that the establishment could produce any sort of edible product, but they walked out of the place with a four-tiered, chocolate masterpiece lined with fresh strawberries and decorated with calligraphic letters.

"I know I shouldn't be surprised," Edward began as they carefully maneuvered the cake in between their seats in the truck, "but Alice really outdid herself with this cake."

"No kidding," Bella murmured as she turned the ignition.

The last stop was the tailor's shop. Bella stayed in the truck while Edward went inside. He emerged fifteen minutes later with a hanger and a garment bag slung over his shoulder with a bored expression. He almost looked like was walking down a fashion runway.

"Is that everything?" she asked as he climbed back in.

"I think so."

During the drive back, they had a deep discussion on what they predicted would happen at the party.

"I bet Lauren tries to get you to kiss her by the end of the night," Bella announced.

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? Well five bucks says Newton asks you to dance with him six times tonight. And another five bucks says that he tries to start a fight with Crowley when he cuts in for the seventh."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

"Fine then. I take your bet. Ten dollars."

"Fine."

Bella shot him a sidelong glance. "You seem awfully sure about this. Did Alice predict it or something?"

"No," he answered, his voice uncharacteristically dark. "But Crowley and Newton are very predictable, and I already know what they're going to be thinking when they see you tonight."

She smiled softly and reached across the space between them to lay her hand gently on his forearm. "Don't worry about me tonight, Edward. I'll be fine. I'll make sure that Mike doesn't slip anything in my drink."

He caught her hand in his and squeezed. "I know, but I can't help worrying about you anyway."

Bella laughed. "It's in your nature, worry wart."

They got back to the Cullen mansion three hours before the party was about to start. Alice must have disappeared into the house because Esme had taken her place, directing and overseeing the labor. She had already changed into her party gown and she looked absolutely amazing; her vintage, mermaid dress was deep red with a black lace overlay. It had a heart-shaped neckline offset by two wide straps that rested over the crest of her shoulders. The skirt clung to her hips, but flared out when it reached her knees and stopped mid-calf to show off her shapely legs. Her hair, too, looked like something out of _Casablanca_; her structured curls were pinned perfectly to frame her face and probably sprayed stiff so they wouldn't move an inch.

When she saw the two of them emerge from the truck, she smiled. "Good, you're back. Alice asked me to tell you to bring the cake to the kitchen. The waiters will take care of the tables. When you're done with that, Alice wants Bella to go straight to her room to get ready."

Edward grinned at her. "I'll take care of the cake. You go ahead, Bells."

She made a face at him before trudging toward the house. But try as she might to stall, she reached Alice's room in record time.

"There you are!" she demanded impatiently. She was already dressed: the bodice of her gown looked like an upside down black triangle and the thinnest of straps barely kissed her shoulders. The skirt was a sheath of ivory silk and a second, outer layer of sheer, black fabric that flared away from her hips in an a-line and stopped just at her knees. The dress would have made Audrey Hepburn proud.

"Quick, go take a shower," Alice said imperiously as she stuffed a towel and the necessary undergarments in Bella's arms and shoved her in the direction of the bathroom. "And don't try to stall because I am not afraid to go in there and pull you out of the shower."

There was no doubt in Bella's mind that she would, so she made the shower a quick one. When she was finished, she emerged in her full satin slip and a haze of steam.

"Sit," Alice said simply and pointed to the chair in front of her vast vanity mirror. Laid out on the table was seemingly every beauty product known to man. Bella made a face when she realized that Alice would probably have to use all of it to make her look even somewhat presentable.

Rosalie strode into the room a moment later dressed in her nurse's costume. Being in the room with the two of them made Bella feel like she stepped back in time.

"You guys look amazing," she told them.

Rosalie flashed her a gorgeous smile. "Thanks. And now, it's your turn."

The two of them combed, tugged, ironed and pinned every inch of her hair. When they were finished, they sprayed on a layer of hairspray so thick, her hair alone could have ripped a new hole in the ozone layer.

"Rosalie, can you do her makeup while I try to steam out the wrinkles in her dress?"

"Sure," the older girl answered.

Bella sat there patiently with her eyes closed as Rose applied her eye shadow, liner, mascara and lipstick with a professional's touch. When she pulled away, Bella felt sharply surprised by her image in the mirror. She looked almost…pretty.

"Voila!" Alice declared when she emerged from her closet with Bella's dress. The brunette caught sight of its reflection from the mirror and she gasped. Edward must have been on crack because—in her dictionary—that dress counted as the epitome of ridiculous.

"Alice! You can't be serious!"

"But I am!" the smaller girl said earnestly with wide eyes. "Don't worry, Bella, you'll look amazing."

She reluctantly pulled the dress on. It wasn't that the dress was _ugly_—far from it, actually. It was strapless and made of deep blue satin that clung to each of her nonexistent curves. The satin gathered in an intricate ruching pattern over her bust and the front of the dress was overlaid with a layer of black lace and sparkling beading around the edge of the hem. The back of the dress dipped low and flowed away from her hips with extra fabric, almost like a cape. Yes, the dress was lovely. The only problem was that Bella couldn't pull it off.

Rosalie and Alice, however, disagreed. "Bella, you look beautiful," Rosalie breathed, her blue eyes wide in amazement.

Bella looked down at herself skeptically. "Are you sure? I feel a little ridiculous."

"Nonsense," Alice said briskly as she stepped forward with a diamond necklace to complete the effect.

Bella glanced at herself one last time in the mirror and sighed. Even if she thought she looked terrible, it was too late. She doubted there was another dress that would have been appropriate enough and Alice wouldn't have let her change. So she was stuck either way.

"Are we ready?" Alice asked as she handed Bella her silver shoes.

The other two girls nodded. With that, they walked out of Alice's room and toward the staircase. Bella had to take great care not to stumble and fall in her borrowed heels. She was looking down the entire time, so she missed Edward's reaction as he waited for her in the foyer.

Edward was…stunned. Yes, that was a good word. Stunned. He knew the dress was beautiful; he had seen it beforehand. And frankly, Bella would have looked lovely in a burlap sack. But nothing could have prepared him for the way she looked in that dress. Satin was usually an unforgiving fabric, emphasizing every flaw in the wearer's figure. But on Bella, it showed off all of her delicious curves like second skin. And the deep blue made her pale visage glow until it seemed like she was the only light source in the room.

"Here," Emmett muttered as he walked up behind him. He handed Edward a napkin.

Edward shook himself from his dumbstruck daze. "What's this for?"

Emmett smirked. "To wipe the drool off your chin."

Jasper laughed and Edward punched his older brother in the shoulder. "Shut up," he grumbled.

When she finally made it all the way down, Edward approached her immediately and brought her soft hand to his lips. "You look beautiful," he said in a fervent, soft voice.

Bella laughed charmingly, unaware of the painful throbbing in Edward's ribcage. "Thanks, Edward, but honestly, I'm nothing compared to you tonight." She cast a gaze over his attire and he felt slight pleasure in the admiration he saw there.

And truly, he looked like he should be in Vegas with the rest of the rat pack, smoking on Cuban cigars and shooting craps with a martini on the table and Marilyn Monroe on his arm. He wore a plain black button-down shirt with a thin white tie, a pin-striped, double-breasted jacket (complete with a carnation tucked into the breast pocket), pinstriped pants and a black fedora with a wide brim and a gray ribbon tied around it set at a jaunty angle atop his messy bronze locks. And Bella knew quite well that by the end of the night he would discard the jacket and roll up his sleeves, making him look even more debonair than usual.

When she finally pulled her gaze away from Edward, she noticed Emmett and Jasper. Jasper wore a khaki military uniform with his tie tucked into his shirt and his hat struggling to lie flat on his blond hair. Emmett was dressed as a sailor: head to toe in white with navy trim and a navy tie.

"Wow!" Esme exclaimed when she walked out into the foyer. Carlisle stood beside her, dressed like Humphrey Bogart in khaki pants, white button-down shirt, red tie, fedora and a long trench coat.

"Alice, you really pulled it off," Carlisle said with admiration. "All of you look amazing."

"Thanks, Dad," Alice beamed.

Esme pulled one of the waiters aside and asked him to take a picture on her digital camera. The eight of them gathered together and smiled widely for the camera. Then Esme insisted that the couples take couple pictures as well. Jasper and Alice took their picture at the base of the staircase while Emmett and Rosalie recreated the famous "V-Day" pose. Then she gave the camera to Edward and he took a picture of her and Carlisle next to the door. He had his arms wrapped around her waist as she leaned away with her leg popped in the air and a wide smile on both their faces. Needless to say, they all looked like movie stars.

After the pictures were taken, they all did one last check before the guests started arriving. The forty-piece jazz band had set up on a stage outside and fifty tables were laid out with sparkling centerpieces of roses and candles. An open bar stood off to the side closest to the house with a bartender serving mocktails. And servers milled about in white dinner jackets and slicked back hair.

"I stand corrected, Alice," Bella conceded. "I will never doubt your abilities ever again."

The tiny girl smirked. "I thought so."

Just then, the doorbell decided to ring. "They're here," Emmett sang in a creepy voice.

Esme and Carlisle smiled at them. "Are you ready?" she asked.

The six young people took a deep breath and nodded. With that, the older couple ventured back into the house to answer the door.

"Here we go," Bella murmured to Edward.

"Don't worry," he said as he squeezed her arm in reply. "Everything will be fine."

"Do me a favor?"

His eyes softened as he gazed at her. "Anything."

"Don't let me fall."

He grinned and wrapped his arm tightly around her waist. That, he could do. "I promise."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Edward was seriously close to breaking the champagne flute in his hand for several reasons.

First, Lauren Mallory was still talking to him. No matter how many times he tried to brush her off that evening—and he truly had—she stuck to him like a barnacle. She continued to gaze up at him with admiration and longing. He could practically hear her thoughts shouting at him to kiss her.

Second, just as Lauren had followed him around for pretty much the entire evening, Mike Newton and Tyler Crowley hadn't left Bella alone either. They followed at her heels everywhere she went, finding any excuse they could to touch her bare shoulders or her upper arm. He suddenly hated Alice for picking such a revealing dress.

Third, the servers were hovering around her as well, ignoring the other guests and bringing the canapés to her first before they circulated to everyone else. Bella was attracting attention like a magnet and he could sense her discomfort almost fifty yards away in each direction. Every cell in his body ached to be with her and sweep her away from the admiring eyes of the crowd, but the insipid Lauren Mallory got in his way every time he tried. Soon his gentlemanly patience would run out completely and he would say something that would bring her to tears—not that he much cared.

Just then, the band started to play "The Way You Look Tonight" and Edward decided to make his move. "Here, Lauren," he told her as he handed her his champagne flute. Then, without another word, he walked toward Bella and cut through her crowd of admirers. He felt his heart ring with pleasure when he noticed relief wash over her features.

"Miss Swan, may I have this dance?" he asked courteously as he offered her his hand.

She smiled at him and slipped her hand into his. Then he silently led her to the dance floor, reveling in the murderous glances all the men were shooting at him.

"Thank you," she said fervently as he wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "You really saved me back there."

"No problem," he chuckled. "It gave me an excuse to get away from Lauren."

Bella swept a gaze over the crowd and noticed with sadistic pleasure that the blond girl herself was watching the two of them with an expression of pure fury. "She looks pretty upset," she told him, deciding to understate it a little.

Edward snorted. "Who cares? I had to leave. She kept babbling on and on about how she spent the summer in Los Angeles meeting famous people and trying to establish a modeling career."

She laughed and the sound warmed him to the core. "Is that why she's blonder than usual?"

"I think so."

They both laughed in unison. The beautiful sound turned heads, but the couple didn't notice.

While they were dancing, Bella didn't need to look down once, not while she was in Edward's arms. She trusted him so implicitly as he twirled her around the dance floor with ease and grace. She was aware that people were watching them—some with envy, some with awe—and she blushed at the thought, but the longer she danced with him, the easier it became to forget everyone else.

Edward didn't seem to mind either. He relished the way she felt in his hands, the way she draped her arm across his shoulders. He pulled her closer to him, hoping that he could keep her to himself. He wanted to whisk her away from everyone and jealously hide her so that she would belong to him and only him.

If only.

"So what's with the servers?" Edward asked as casually as he could. "They haven't left you alone all night."

Bella raised her eyebrows. "Oh? I thought you were responsible for that. Every time my drink runs out a server comes by with a fresh one. Jason said it was to make sure no one screwed around with my food. If it wasn't you, then I guess Alice put them up to it."

Edward would have been more relieved if she hadn't known the server's name. "Jason?"

"He tried to slip me his number," she said with a shrug.

His grip around her waist tightened. Luckily, Bella didn't notice. "Tried?"

"When I saw that he stuck his card on the bottom of the glass, I slipped it back in the pocket of his jacket with a tip."

He laughed.

They slowly rotated in their spot for a few more moments. Then Bella felt Edward stiffen in her arms. She looked up at him with questioning eyes. "Edward? What's wrong?"

"Tanya's here," he said, his voice gruff and his tone embarrassed.

She glanced over her shoulder and sure enough, the beautiful, strawberry blond was making the rounds with her sisters, Kate and Irina. They sparkled with their own incandescent beauty and the servers that had flocked to her when she wasn't dancing made their way to the triplets, fighting to offer them the freshest appetizers.

"I thought you didn't mind the Denali triplets," Bella reminded him with raised eyebrows.

"I don't," he said. "I like them well enough. I just feel uncomfortable whenever Tanya flirts with me."

She giggled. "Aww, you're so adorable when you're embarrassed."

Edward's heart flipped at her comment, but he tried not to let it show. "Shut up," he muttered.

Halfway through their second song together, Edward felt a small tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Newton standing there with an expectant look on his face. "Hey, Cullen. Do you mind if I cut in?"

_Yes, I mind,_ Edward wanted to shout. But instead, he plastered a strained smile on his face and stepped aside. Before he walked away, though, he wrapped his fingers tightly around Mike's upper arm, enough to cut off circulation. Then he leaned in and whispered in a low voice, "If I catch your hands straying where they shouldn't be, I'll cut them off so they can't do it again. Do you understand?"

Mike gulped, but Bella scowled. No matter how many times she tried to tell him that she could take care of herself, he still insisted on intimidating anyone who tried to get near her. She would have found it sweet if sometimes it weren't so absolutely infuriating.

When Edward reluctantly drifted away, Mike's face visibly relaxed. "Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?"

Bella smiled benignly. "I think you have." _Several times, actually._

He leaned his head in, much too close for Bella's comfort. "Because you are really lovely. You're the prettiest girl here."

"Thank you."

They rotated a little bit longer before Mike tried to make his move. "You know, Bella, I was thinking…"

_Oh, God,_ Bella internally groaned. _Here we go._

At the beginning of every school year since they were in sixth grade, Mike asked Bella on a date. And at the beginning of every school year since they were in sixth grade, Bella turned him down. Emmett and Jasper found it hilarious, but she found it incredibly frustrating. Clearly the boy was an idiot and she simply had no patience for idiots.

"I was thinking that maybe you and I could go out for dinner some time. Like a date."

Luckily, Bella was already prepared. "What happened to Jessica?"

Mike flushed. "Uh…well she—she and I…"

"Aren't you still together?"

He grimaced. "No, we're not."

She frowned, though she already knew. "Why not?"

He cast his gaze downward, scowling at his feet. "Because I found her in bed with Tyler Crowley two weeks ago."

Inwardly, Bella felt a little bad for Mike. He didn't deserve that.

"Anyway, Jess and I are so over. And I'm ready to forget her."

"It doesn't sound like you are."

He looked up with a confused expression. "Huh?"

"It sounds like you still like her."

Mike hesitated before turning his glance away. "Does it matter? She doesn't like me back."

Bella shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. But I don't think the best way to get over her is to start dating again just two weeks after you found her cheating on you."

To her great surprise, his eyes started to water. "I loved her." Then the tears started overflowing, trailing down his cheeks. "And she said she loved me, too. But how could she do that to me? How could she betray me like that?"

Bella rubbed his back sympathetically. "I know. That was really low, what she did. But I don't think you're ready to go out on another date just yet, Mike. You're still not ready to move on. Give it some time."

He sniffled—rather loudly. "I don't think I'll ever be ready to move on."

"You will," Bella said reassuringly, hoping to calm him down enough to stop his tears.

Mike smiled gratefully. "Yeah, I guess. Thanks, Bella. I really appreciate it."

She smiled back. "No problem." Sometimes it was really easy, being Mike's friend.

The song ended and the two of them stepped apart. "If you don't mind, I think I'm going to head home." Tears were still trailing down his face, but now that his hands were free he could wipe them away. "Thanks for listening, Bella. Tell Alice thank you for the invite, will you?"

"Of course." She gave him a big hug and watched as he navigated his way through the crowd and disappeared.

The moment she could no longer see him, Edward materialized at her side. "I leave you alone for five minutes and in that time you manage to drive Mike Newton away in tears." His words were meant to sound disapproving, but the smile on his face betrayed his delight. "What in the world did you say?"

"I didn't mean to," Bella said, feeling slightly guilty at the whole ordeal. "He was asking me out on another date and I asked about Jessica and he told me all about how he found her in bed with Tyler and then he started crying."

Wordlessly, Edward took her back into his arms and started dancing with her once more. "Poor Newton," he allowed generously.

"Yeah. That was really low of Jessica."

"But are you really surprised?"

She sighed. "No, not really."

They danced for a few more songs when Edward declared that he was starving. They made their way back to their table when Bella grinned triumphantly. "By the way, you owe me ten dollars."

Edward's mouth dropped open. "What? No I don't!"

"Yes you do. I believe your exact words were, 'five bucks says Newton asks you dance with him six times tonight.'"

"But that's only—"

"Then your words after that were, 'and another five bucks says that he tries to start a fight with Crowley when he cuts in for the seventh.' Therefore all ten bucks lied and now belong to me."

Edward sighed. "That's hardly fair."

But Bella simply smirked. "Haven't you heard, my dear? Life isn't fair."

"You made Mike cry and leave on purpose just to weasel me out of ten dollars."

"Did not!" she protested.

Edward raised his eyebrows.

Bella sighed. "Okay, I was trying to get him to leave me alone for the rest of the evening, but I didn't set out to make him cry. In fact, I would have preferred if he didn't."

He dropped his stern expression and chuckled. "I'm glad he did. But I guess this means I owe Emmett ten dollars, too."

It was Bella's turn to raise her eyebrows. "What did he bet?"

"Don't worry, it wasn't about you. We were taking bets on why Jessica and Mike broke up."

"And what did you think?"

"I said that Jessica broke up with Mike because he was still so hung up on you."

She rolled her eyes. "You're so focused on finding the worst in Mike that you completely overlook all the crappy things Jessica does. It's hardly fair to either of them."

"You're right," Edward allowed. "How about this: they're both equally immature?"

Bella was hesitant to agree (after all, she felt that cheating on one's boyfriend was an unforgivable offense), but that was probably the best compromise she was going to get from him. Suddenly, she was very glad that they hadn't invited Jessica after all; no doubt she would have caused a huge scene.

"I bet the entire time she was cheating with Tyler, she wishes she could have been cheating with you," Bella said in a teasing voice.

He rolled his eyes. "Like I'd ever."

For some reason, this statement made her very smug. She stopped to examine this irrational feeling; why was she relieved? If she had to hazard a guess, it must have been because she didn't want him to get hurt, if he ever did say yes to Jessica.

But that thought made her furious, though she'd no reason to be. Edward didn't like any of the girls at school, he'd told her a million times. Not to mention, he'd sooner cut off his right arm before ever dating Jessica. So her anger toward the thought of the school's second biggest bimbo (Lauren earned the honor of number one) hurting her best friend was ultimately pointless, since it would never happen.

In the end, Bella chalked it up to her protectiveness. Though Edward never had romantic troubles, he had more than his fair share of emotional abuse. She felt it was her duty as his best friend to protect him from further scarring. Additionally (and she admitted, this wasn't very fair), she considered Edward hers. She didn't love him—not in _that_ way—but he was still hers. She had taken the time to know him, to learn everything she could about who he was. If he belonged to anyone, he belonged to _her_.

Bella tugged him closer to her at the thought. No one could take him away from her. No one.

Three hours later, the party started to wind down. Alice grudgingly allowed her to go home and the Cullens and Hales hugged and kissed her before she drove back to her house. When she walked through the front door, she found her father sitting in front of the TV, as usual. But when he looked up, his eyes were dull and bloodshot.

_Uh-oh,_ Bella thought. _Not good_.

"Where the hell were you?" Charlie demanded. His words were more slurred than usual and too late did Bella notice the empty bottle of gin on the coffee table. Her heart plummeted and her whole body went cold with dread.

"I was at the Cullen's party. Remember? I left a note for you on the fridge."

"Who gave you permission to go?" he screamed.

"Dad, calm down," she said as soothingly as she could. She easily recognized the violent drunk stage and it was best to allay his fury before he destroyed something.

"Don't tell me what to do!" He threw the empty gin bottle at her to prove a point.

Bella ducked out of the way just in time. The empty bottle shattered against the wall behind her. "I'm sorry, Dad," she said, trying her best to keep her voice calm. "I didn't think you would mind. I promise, I'll ask permission next time."

Usually, this would have been enough to mollify her drunken father, but tonight he refused to be placated. "There isn't going to be a next time! You're not allowed out ever again!"

Bella knew it was just the gin talking and that Charlie wouldn't remember the next morning, so she nodded quickly. "Of course, Dad. I promise. Here, why don't we get you to bed?" She reached forward to help him to his feet, but he slapped her hands away.

"I can do it myself!" he screamed. "I don't need your help, you stupid slut!"

She stopped. His words were like a sock to the gut.

But Charlie wasn't finished. "You're a whore, just like your mother! Look where she is now! Every guy she meets treats her like the crap she is! You'll end up just like her. You already look like her."

After a brief pause, Bella pushed aside her hurt and approached her drunken father once again. "Come on, Dad. Let's get you to bed." She took his arm and tried to sling it across her shoulders.

This time, he really did sock her in the gut. He punched her so hard that she crashed against the coffee table. She hit the sharp corner and it hit back with a vengeance.

The room was deathly quiet for a prolonged moment. Then Bella struggled to her feet, her expression carefully blank.

"Okay, Dad. Goodnight."

And with that, she climbed the stairs to her room, limping ever so slightly.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Notebooks?"

"Check."

"Paper?"

"Check."

"Pencils? Pens?"

"Check and check."

Alice did a little dance of excitement. "I love shopping for school supplies!" she trilled. Then she grabbed the handlebars of the shopping cart and pushed ahead down the aisle.

Edward rolled his eyes, but followed his sister with the air of an indulgent father, allowing his child to run free at the amusement park. Moments later, said child popped up out of nowhere with a package of patterned post-its in hand.

"Hey, do you think Bella would like these?"

He examined the flowery design and laughed. "I think you should stick to the normal ones."

Alice made a face, but grabbed the standard yellow post-its and tossed them into the cart. "Speaking of Bella, where is she? Why didn't she come with?"

Edward shrugged. "You know how much she hates shopping."

"Yeah, but this is for school supplies. I didn't think she'd be as opposed to this."

He shrugged again, trying not to let Alice see his unease. Truthfully, he was a little confused as to why Bella wasn't with them either, but he didn't push the matter because he was trying to be considerate and give her some space.

"She's not sick or anything, is she?" Alice asked.

Edward shrugged. "She didn't say."

His sister rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Edward. Do you really think she would have told you if she was? This is Bella we're talking about."

He ignored her.

But the thought continued to niggle at him the rest of the day. What if she didn't come because she really _was_ sick? What if she was bed-ridden and couldn't move? Edward felt a sudden helplessness at the thought of his best friend too weak to take care of herself. And she wasn't exactly the best when it came to resting, either. She could make it worse if she didn't nurse herself properly.

He shook his head to himself. He was jumping to conclusions. Just because she hadn't gone school supplies shopping with them didn't necessarily mean anything. She could just be tired and want to sleep in, especially since she came back from the party pretty late the other night. It was her last day to take advantage of sleeping in anyway.

Still, he couldn't completely shake the feeling that Bella wasn't feeling very well. So he came to the eventual conclusion that he had to go and check up on her—just to make sure she was all right, of course.

After he and Alice had completed their school supply shopping mission, Edward dropped Alice off at the mansion and drove off to Bella's house. It was still only one o'clock in the afternoon, so Chief Swan was at the station where he worked, not at home. When Edward pulled in to the road right in front of Bella's house, he retrieved the key from under the eaves and let himself into the house.

"Bella?" he called as he entered. He took a step forward and almost jumped when he heard a loud crunching sound. Looking down, he saw that he had stepped on a broken bottle.

"Edward?" a voice called from upstairs. "Is that you?"

He rolled his eyes. "No, it's Santa Claus. Who else would it be?" But before he ran up the stairs to Bella's room, he pulled the dustpan from the laundry room and swept up the broken glass fragments. After he had disposed of them, he swiftly ascended the staircase and made a beeline for Bella's room.

When he entered the threshold of her bedroom, he noticed that she was still in her pajamas and tucked underneath her covers with a worn paperback in her lap. He frowned at the sight.

"You're still in bed?" He walked closer and sat at the edge of her bed to feel forehead. "Are you sick?"

"Nah," Bella said nonchalantly. "I just fell down the stairs last night and I'm a little sore."

Edward didn't trust her tone. It was too unconcerned. "What did you hit when you fell?"

"My stomach and my hip. Don't worry, Edward. It's no big deal."

"If it's no big deal then how come you can't move?" Her small winces whenever she shifted her torso hadn't escaped his attention. It was definitely hurting her more than she let on.

She grimaced. "I can so move."

He raised his eyebrows. "Prove it."

"What?"

"Prove it. Prove that you can move."

Bella paused to glare at him. Then, with deliberate caution, she pulled herself out of the bed and stood up. When she was completely upright, she smirked at him. "See? I can move."

"Good," he said approvingly. "Now walk."

She sighed. Then, very slowly, she took a tiny step forward. Edward might have let her get away with her lie if the grimace on her face hadn't betrayed the pain she was in.

"Lay down," he said firmly. "Have you eaten anything yet?"

"Yeah," she hissed in pain as she slowly lowered herself down onto the bed. "I had a few Saltines earlier, but that was it."

It was Edward's turn to glare. "Bella, you should know better than that."

She simply stuck her tongue out at him in response. He ignored her and left her room in search of something more satisfying than crackers. After a preliminary search of the kitchen, he uncovered nothing but a few bottles of Bud Light and a half-empty bottle of vodka in the refrigerator.

"There is absolutely no food in this house," Edward declared loudly as he walked back to the hallway.

"Why do you think all I had today were Saltines?" she shouted back.

He grabbed his sweater off the peg on the wall. "I'm going out to the Thriftway to get you something to eat. I'll be back in an hour."

"I'll be here," came her dry response.

When Bella heard the slam of the front door, she sighed in relief and slowly got out of her bed. She limped to her mirror and slowly lifted her t-shirt to examine the damage.

Her father's punch left an angry purple bruise on her pale skin and the coffee table had certainly done its damage as well. Both wounds made it difficult to breathe properly.

She sighed again and pushed her t-shirt back down. She really should have treaded more carefully last night. Charlie had never been able to handle hard alcohol very well and he was prone to violent fits when he had anything stronger than beer. Luckily for her, it never happened very often. In fact, this was the first time he had ever physically struck her.

True to his word, Edward came back an hour later with armfuls of grocery bags. She watched from her spot on the couch as he kicked open the door and transferred them from his car to her kitchen.

"What are you doing on the couch?" he demanded when he saw her. "You shouldn't be moving."

"I had to," she complained. "I was getting so sick of my bed. Besides, it's not going to get any better if I don't move around is it? I have to stretch. Tomorrow's my first day of senior year. I can't skip it, so I might as well start getting used to the pain."

He rolled his eyes as he strode into the kitchen with the last of the groceries. "I thought you weren't looking forward to our first day of senior year."

"I'm not, but it's going to be painful enough without a colossal bruise on my stomach."

Edward popped his head out of the kitchen and frowned. "There's a bruise on your stomach?"

"Yeah, why do you think I can hardly move?"

He emerged from the kitchen entirely and walked toward the couch. "Let me see," he requested gently, his eyebrows still furrowed in concern.

Reluctantly, Bella pulled the edges of her shirt up.

In any other circumstance, Edward would have been both sharply embarrassed and thrilled to be viewing Bella's bare stomach. But as it was, there was a huge purple bruise marring the beauty of her pale, silky smooth skin so his excitement was ruined by his horror. "Geez, Bells, how hard did you fall?" He reached forward and gingerly touched the skin.

Bella gasped, but not from pain. She gasped in surprise; the way his cold fingertips felt against the tender bruise felt almost like an electric shock.

"Sorry," Edward said quickly before withdrawing his hand. Blood rushed to his face and he abruptly stood from his place beside her on the couch.

"It's okay," Bella assured him as she pushed her shirt back down. "Your hand was cold, that's all."

He didn't answer as he strode back into the kitchen.

"You didn't spend too much, did you?" Bella demanded from the other room.

"Don't worry, I used your food money," Edward lied. Of course he did no such thing, but it was better to have her believe so lest she start a pointless argument. He went back into the living room with the magazine he bought for her, hoping to distract her from the line of conversation.

"Here. I got this for you."

She accepted the issue of _Seventeen_ with raised eyebrows. "Seriously?"

Edward grinned mischievously. "I thought you might want to know if you're a summer or a winter."

"If I did, I would have asked your sister." But she opened the magazine and began reading in spite of herself.

When he saw that she was immersed in the trivial concerns of other girls her age, he started putting away the groceries he bought. When he was finished, the place looked like an actual kitchen.

_Now what to make?_ he asked himself. Truthfully, he wasn't as good a cook as Bella was (very few people were), but that didn't mean he was completely helpless in a kitchen…right?

Finally, he settled on the simplest of comfort foods: grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.

"What's taking so long?" Bella called from the living room.

"Keep your pants on," Edward shouted back. The sandwiches were already finished (crust-less, the way Bella liked them). He was just waiting for the microwave to finish heating the soup. When it was done, he carefully removed the container and poured the steaming liquid into a bowl. Then he put it all on a tray and carried it out to the invalid sitting on the couch.

"So what's the consensus?" he asked.

"Winter, apparently," she said as she set the magazine aside. "For some reason, people think I'm pale."

Edward laughed.

She examined the food before her then gave an approving nod. "Not a bad spread, Cullen."

"Why thank you, Swan."

When she was finished eating, she set the tray aside and picked the magazine back up. "Okay, it's your turn."

He frowned. "My turn to what?"

"To take a quiz." She flipped through the pages, looking for an appropriate one. Then she stopped in the very center of the magazine. The top said in big, white letters: What do you think of your friends?

"But I don't want to," Edward protested.

"Aw, come on," she said with a laugh. "Don't you want to know how your mind really works?"

"I already know, thanks."

"Too bad," she said as she stuck her tongue out at him and began. "'Of all the people you know, who reminds you most of the color yellow?'"

"What the hell kind of question is that?"

"The kind middle-aged women in stagnant journalistic careers get paid eight dollars an hour to write. Answer it."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Fine. Carlisle, I guess."

Bella made a mark of the answer and continued. "'The color orange?'"

"Uh…Angela."

"'The color red?'"

"Rosalie." That was a no-brainer, considering it was her favorite color.

"'The color white?'"

Edward watched his best friend sitting on the couch across from him and admired the paleness of her creamy complexion. "You."

Bella looked up from the magazine to glare at him. "Is that supposed to be a crack about my skin color?"

"Now what would make you think that?" he smirked.

Bella stuck her tongue out at him briefly before continuing. "'The color green?'"

"Ben."

"'Chocolate?'"

"Who reminds me the most of chocolate?" Bella nodded and Edward scratched his head. "I don't know. Alice."

"Uh…'vanilla?'"

"Esme." It was her favorite fragrance, in addition to her favorite flavor. She trailed the scent of vanilla wherever she went.

"'A saltine cracker?'"

Edward snorted. "Mike. He's as bland as a saltine cracker."

Bella shook her head, but smiled as she made note of the answer. "And finally, 'a meat snack?'"

"Emmett," he answered without hesitation. No explanation was needed.

When she was finished writing down the last answer, she scanned the results page. "Okay. 'You truly love Rosalie.'"

"Certainly."

"'You consider Angela your true friend.'"

Edward nodded.

"'You know that Carlisle is always thinking of you.'"

He rolled his eyes. "He's my father. That goes without saying."

Bella smiled wryly. She knew too well that just because a man happened to be a father didn't necessarily mean that he was always thinking of his children. But she continued with the results. "'You'll remember Ben for the rest of your life.'"

"Ben certainly is memorable."

"'You secretly think that Alice is creative, charming, and a bit too dramatic at times.'"

Edward snorted. "I don't secretly think that. I openly think that."

She laughed before continuing. "'You secretly think that Esme is colorful, impulsive and a total risk taker.'"

"Yeah, that's crap. I don't think that at all."

Bella nodded her agreement. "'You secretly think that Emmett is loyal and trustworthy to you. And that he changes lovers faster than he changes underwear.'"

"The first part is true, but I hope the second part isn't, otherwise Rosalie is going to be pissed."

"'You secretly think that Mike is shy and non-confrontational. And that Mike has a hidden Internet romance.'"

Edward burst out laughing. "I don't know about non-confrontational, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Internet romance thing were true in a couple of years."

Bella joined in his laughter. The thought was an intriguing one, something that was very likely to happen.

When their chuckles finally subsided, she read out the last result. "And finally, 'you secretly think that Bella is your soul mate.'"

She started laughing again, but this time she was the only one. "If by 'soul mate' they mean 'best friend' then sure," she said between giggles. "Geez, the crap some people come up with."

But Edward could only bring himself to smile weakly. "Ha, yeah. Ridiculous."

Little did Bella know how well they had nailed the last answer. Edward didn't know how he felt about being so predictable to a teenage girl's magazine. Maybe there was more truth in this crap than he thought.


End file.
